Scriptures for the High-Risk Pregnancy

Across my medieval hospital desk I have index cards with various Scriptures written across them. I intended these to be read to me while I labored and birthed Uriah in our cozy home, with Dalton next to me, and a trusty midwife helping us along.

Now, the verses bring comfort in another way. My water has been ruptured for 19 days now and this is our 18th in the hospital (with 8 weeks to go, Lord willing!). There have been days when these verses were constantly being browsed over; during the first week especially I needed reminders of God’s goodness, control, and love.

Below are 5 verses which seem to always be finding their way from the plastic, gray drawer and across the fake wooden top of the desk. These are the top 5 verses I have found comfort in during our high-risk pregnancy.

“Because of his strength will I wait upon thee: for God is my defense.” Psalm 59:9

I lovethis verse; the whole chapter is of David spilling out his woes, fears, and impressions of his enemies, yet, in the end he determines that he will wait on God because He is his defense. Realistically, I don’t have enemies; I’m not being hunted by villains or persecuted by crooked family. But I do have enemies of the heart: fear, doubt, and faithlessness constantly harassing me. Simple, ordinary fears pummel high-risk pregnancy (fear of labor, fear of the unknown medical questions, fear of the worst case scenario). Because the strength of my enemies I will wait on You, LORD God, because You are my defense and so much stronger than the strongest foe I face.

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, love, and a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7

I know that 10 weeks of bed rest is the perfect time to bond with my little, rest, and prepare for the upcoming labor and life to follow. But it is so easy to let the days be consumed with the spirit of fear! I love that God has not only not given us fear but He has given us power, love, and a sound, controlled mind. As Christians, we can literally say to our mental minds, “Is this thought powered by fear? Because, if so, it is not of God and it no longer needs my attention.” We can confidently enjoy God’s gifts of power, love, and a sound mind; we don’t need to be a doormat to fear-filled thoughts.

“And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man [with help] from the LORD.” Genesis 4:1

I love this verse because it is simply so simple. The very first birth of the entire world was followed by words spoken by a woman who had never before experienced labor, never talked with a doctor, and never even heard the term “breech position.”

And at the end of her experience she said simply, “I have gotten a man from the Lord.” By His kindness, by His great creativeness, by His power, and by His help, she received a man-child.

And guess what, sweet, preggo person? So have you. It’s the very same Lord Who walked with Adam and Eve, Who gave them a child, and Who helped her through labor that is giving you your child.

During my high-risk bed rest, labor and pain, and all the unknown days ahead I want to remember, “I have gotten a man [with help] from the LORD.”

“I will hope continually, and will yet praise thee more and more. My mouth will show forth Thy righteousness and Thy salvation all the day; for I know not the numbers thereof. I will go in the strength of the LORD God: I will make mention of Thy righteousness, even of Thine only. ” Psalm 71:14, 16

This has been one of my go-to verses from the moment we discovered Uriah may have health issues. And once I was admitted to the hospital for an early membrane rupture I again turned to this verse (I was actually repeating it to myself as we drove to the hospital).

Why? Because it gives me purpose. I will hope continually (as in I will keep on hoping when hope seems ridiculous).I will praise You more and more(because You Lord are worthy of praise even in what looks like our tragedy). I will speak of Your righteousness and salvation all day(because these are the only things worth speaking of and there are people in this hospital Who need to know you and the numbers of them are unknowable!). I will go(to bed when I feel restless, to the ultrasound when I don’t want to hear bad news, to get another heparin shot …) in the strength of the LORD. I will make mention of Your righteousness only (because it is this righteousness which makes our lives worth living).

See how deep, how real, and how applicable these words are? They’re life-giving and doable and beautiful.

“All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth unto such as keep His covenant and His testimonies.” Psalm 25:10

Finally, a last reminder of God’s amazing purposeand kindness in our perfectly imperfect pregnancy. From a human standpoint our pregnancy has looked riddled with “mistakes.” A misdiagnosed miscarriage, a 20 week diagnosis of Hydrocephalus, an early rupture at 24 weeks with a following discovery of Lobar Holoprosensephaly, topped with 10 weeks of hospitalized bed rest and countless unknowns until our little miracle makes his appearance.

From a human viewpoint, it looks bad.

But, sweet people, it is anything but. All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth. All of them. From the moment Uriah Lee was conceived, fashioned in the image of God, and formed with the Creator’s own hands, his path has been covered with God’s mercy and truth.

This isn’t a mistake. This isn’t an oversight. This isn’t a punishment. This isn’t bad. This isn’t the end of the world. This isn’t something to change or even wish away.

This is a path God has given us and it is filled with mercy and truth. Every day is filled with His grace. Every moment I spend in the hospital is overflowing with His goodness. Every hour Uriah remains in my womb is a gift. And every day following his birth, whether hard or easy, healed or disabled, is full of mercy and truth and graciously given by God.

And it’s the same for you, preggo Momma. I don’t know what sort of pregnancy you’re experiencing. I’m not sure if you’ve been labeled high-risk or are experiencing some trauma.

But, God’s Word is true. And every path He lets His people walk … you can guarantee it’s covered with mercy and truth.

What Scriptures brought you comfort during a hard season of your life? Share with us below in the comments — I love hearing from you!

How my heart ached for you when I heard the news of your precious little Uriah. While so hard to hear I am sure, the trust and faith you have in God through this is beautiful and such a strong testimony. And this post . . . what an encouragement it was to read!

And little Uriah . . . what a treasure and precious gift he is, no matter what diagnosis and special needs he has. Every child is such a blessing from the Lord! While I wish that he and you all did not have to walk this path, I know that God is carrying each of you along the way and loves and cares for you three so much more than our minds can even grasp.

On the way home from the therapeutic riding center after a very special day working with children with special needs, I saw one of your recent posts about being in the hospital and more updates about your sweet boy. I have worked with children with disabilities all across the spectrum from mild to severe (including a little boy with hydrocephalus), and each one is so very precious. And can come so far with therapy!

I have been and will continue to pray for you, Dalton, and little Uriah. May the Lord continue to uphold and strengthen you and fill your hearts with His peace!

Praying!

~ Sarah

P.S. What hospital are you at? (If you do not want to share publicly, you can e-mail me! aslilies@gmail.com.)

Ah, thank you for your comment. It is like honey to the soul to receive such encouragement and love. Thank you for sharing your experience; I was actually just thinking of your last post about the therapeutic horse rides you and Leah do. Depending on Uriah’s needs (and when he is old enough) I would love to look into that!

And thank you for loving little Uriah as he is. We love him so much, no matter what abilities or disabilities he may have (or we’re told he may have) and *so* look forward to having him in our home and working with him. He is so precious and, even though this road is harder than we like, we cannot imagine altering how God has made him. He is precious!

I am actually at Women’s and Children’s in Columbia. 🙂

And thank you for your prayers!! We so appreciate them. God has been so loving and merciful to us through this time. What a great God we serve!!

It is beautiful to see your and Dalton’s great love for little Uriah. : ) He is one blessed little boy to have you both as are you both so blessed by him, too!

I just sent you an e-mail, but wanted to leave a little note here, too, to say that once he is old enough, the riding center would be so wonderful for him I am sure! I would highly recommend it. They start riders as young as two and it is amazing to see what a difference it can make!

What beautiful scriptures Frannie! If you don’t mind, I plan on incorporating them into my labor collection, and for days where other worries plague my mind. 😊

Some scripture I have found to be an encouragement are Isaiah 26:3, Isaiah 41:10, Psalm 61:2, and Psalm 46:1-2. 2 Chronicles and the story of King Asa was a good reminder for me last year. If you read it you see where the king had trusted in GOD with his military conquests and GOD saw and honored that. But when Asa became sick, he looked to his doctors for help. Reading that last year, was a turning point to remember GOD is in control of our lives, and to look to HIM always for strength. You show evidence of that already. 😊